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Home > Blogs > Springfield Schools News and Issues > Archives > 2008 > November > 21 > Entry
How do you have a successful parent-teacher conference?
Parent-teacher conferences are cropping up on almost every school calendar I have this month.
The National Education Association, familyeducation.com and Discovery’s Parent Channel all have tips to help you make the most of these meetings.
I believe we have a few educators reading out there; maybe they will offer up their own tips as well?
Here are a few of each organization’s suggestions with links to the rest of the article.
Do your homework: Prepare for your conference by making a list of things you may need to notify your child’s teacher about (changes at home or problems you are noticing, for example). Also come up with questions prior to the conference so you know what you want to ask and discuss.
Ask your child: Talk to your child before the conference to get ideas about what you might hear during the conference and what concerns you might raise.
Ask about the school: Find out the teacher’s and school’s policies in the classroom, for evaluating your child and what your child will be expected to learn over the year. Also ask the teacher what you can do at home to help your child be more successful.
Looking for more? Here’s a list of how to handle a few different specific circumstances and an article on continuing effective communication after the conference is over.
Permalink | Comments (3) | Post your comment | Categories: Parenting
Comments
By LizardKingLives
November 21, 2008 11:40 AM | Link to this
As a former educator here is the best way to have a successful parent teacher conference…parents need to get involved.I can not count the number of parents who just did not show or took absolutely no active role in their childs education.Expecting the educators to do everything.I even had parents react very negatively to me when I contacted them at home to discuss challenges their child was having either behaviorially or academically.Eventually it is very disheartening to know that some parents show very little to no interest in what their child does-I can only imagine how the child feels and gets treated or more likely ignored at home.By Lindsey
November 21, 2008 11:48 AM | Link to this
A good teacher should make an effort to be involved with parents at more than just conferences. Some schools are so big that you may not be able to and LizardkingLives is correct in saying that there are many parents out there that expect teachers to do everything and do not want to be that involved. As a parent, if you don’t know classroom and school policies when your child starts the year, you need to. Don’t just do your research right before you go to talk to your child’s teacher. Talking to your child first is a big thing. I have been in P/T conferences where the parent acts so shocked to hear things and it is then hard to discuss options and such with the parent because they are upset and angry. I would say that talking to your child THE ENTIRE YEAR and not just before a P/T conference is the most important part. If you feel that your child’s teacher needs to be more involved, ask them to be. If they feel you need to be more involved, be.By Leonard Kadel
November 22, 2008 7:57 AM | Link to this
As a board member, and recipient of many calls from parents for many reasons, I concur totally with the two comments. I would like to add one more. For parents, it is also important to accept the fact that your child may not be the brightest student in the school’s history, most athletic, most well behaved or most responsible student in the school. It is possible that the child may be normal, like many other children. Go into the conference with the anticipation and understanding that teacher sees these children in different ways and a different environment than the parent. The parent doesn’t have to accept the teacher’s view, but at least try to understand the veiw the teacher has of the child’s potential. You might be surprised at how well the teacher may know your child and the child’s potential. Give the teacher the benefit of the doubt about the child’s education, respectfully question the teacher’s finding, and then work together in the best interest of the child.